Earth-boring machine



March 27, 1928. 1,663,833

G. GENUNG EARTH BORING MACHINE Filed Feb. 27, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1March 27, 1928.

G. GENUNG EARTH BORING MACHINE Filed Feb. 27. 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet. 2

,[nde/u w": I Gilbert Gezzung Patented Mar. 27, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GILBERT GENUNG, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO JOHN M. HUMIS'ION, F

BERWYN,

ILLINOIS.

EARTH-BORING MACHINE.

This invention relates to earth boring machines and especially toportable devices of this sort which are mounted on automotive powertrucks or the like. The main objects of the invention are to provide animproved construction and arrangement of derrick and control members forvehicle mounted earth boring machines; to provide an improved form ofadjustable means for bracing and stabilizing the truck body when thedevice is in use; to provide an improved form of flexible shaft powertransmission for the derrick; and to provide an improved form ofextensible drive shaft adapted for anti-friction telescopic operation.

An illustrative embodiment of this invention is shown by theaccompanying drawin s, in which 2- igure 1 is mainly a plan of thederrick and boring means and also includes part of the truck,particularly the front end.

Fig. 2 is mainly a side elevation of the derrick and boring means, thetruck being shown in vertical cross section on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is mainly a plan of the truck body brace, with only theimmediately adjacent portion of the truck shown in connection therewith,the brace being shown in its lowered position in full lines and in itsraised and folded position in dotted lines.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section through the device shown in Fig. 3 on theline 44 of said figure.

Fig. 5 is partly, the lower half, a side view of the telescopic jointportion of the drive shaft, which is carried by the boom, and the upperpart of the view is in longitudinal section to show the anti-frictionextension key bearings.

Fig. 6 is a of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is similar to Fig. 5 except that a modified construction is shownfor the joint member, a simple solid key being shown instead of rollers.

In the construction shown in the drawings, the auger l and derrick 2 aremounted on a platform 3, which platform is carried by a self-propelledvehicular member 4 here shown, with part broken away, in the form of atruck adapted for operation by an cross section on the line 6-6 internalcombustion engine, as will be un-' Serial No. 12,094.

6, base plate or block 7 whereon the mast and boom are mounted, inclinedrearward brace 8 for the mast, pulleys 9 and 10, together with cable 11carried thereby for supporting and adjusting the boom, as will beunderstood, and pulleys 13, 14 and 15, together with cable 16 forraising and lowering the auger l and mechanism associated therewith. Theboom is pivoted at 6 to the cared sleeve or hub-like support 7 whichturns horizontally on the plate 7, with the mast 5 serving as a pivot.Said plate 7 has also therein an upstanding bracket 7 to help supportthe mast upright.

The auger 1 is adapted and arranged for mechanical drive through atelescopically extensible shaft 17 and connections therefor, as will bemore fully described. The auger itself comprises substantially arotatably supported shank 1S and an earth engaging bit part including aplurality of pivotally mounted digging members or scoops 19 mounted onthe lower end of said shank, together with manually operable dumpingmeans for opening and closing the scoops The said dumping means for thescoops 19 comprises mainly an exteriorly threaded sleeve 20 of elongatedshape mounted Totatably on the middle part of shank 18 in combinationwith a short interiorly threaded sleeve 21 arranged to tra el up anddown on said sleeve 20, when the latter is rotatcd'by means of handles22 thereon. Said sleeve 20 is secured against longitndinal movement bymeans of a pair of end collars 23 fixed on said shank 18 by pins 24. Thesleeve 21 is connected to the dump mechanism of the digging members 19by means of a pair of links 25 which are secured by pivots 26 to theoutstanding shoulders 27 on said sleeve and on the sliding member 28which operates the scoop actuating mechanism, including levers 29 aswill be understood. The bit proper and scoop members are not claimed aspart of my invention and need not be further described herein.

The upper end of the shank 18 is connected through a short shaft 18 anda spring cushion coupling 30, such as shown in my copending application,Serial No. 2726f), to the gearing in housing 31, to which gearing theshaft 1 7 is operably connected. .Said housing is provided with abracket 32 and lag 32 on its upper side, to which the cable 16 isconnected. The handles 31' facilitate adjustment of the auger forboring.

Said shaft 17 at its outer end is provided with a bevel gear 33 linedthereon in operative relation'to another bevel gear 34: which is rigidlyconnected to a worm gear 35, the latter being arranged to mesh with acorresponding gear, not shown, fixed on the upper .end of the shortshaft member 18, whichleads down to the said coupling 30.

The driving shaft 17 serves also as a torque reactor for the auger andis of suffioiently rigid construction to eii'cct this service withoutobjectionable bending. The outer end of shaft 17 is journaled at twopoints 38 and 39spaced apart on the bracket 40 which is pivoted tohousing 31 coarially with the worm gear 3-5, substantially as shown inmy copending application.

In order to accommodate extension of shaft 17, as required for raisingthe auger, and shortening when the anger is lowered,

'the shaft is made in two sections 17 and 17', the latter being tubularto receive the former. Relative turning of sections 17" and 17.isprevented by a groove and key construction, as shown by Figs. '5 and6. In order to avoid friction and to permit ready change in effectivelength of the shaft, especia-lly when under load, the groove 41 insection 17" is provided with al y 42 of special construction for ridingin the groove 43 of sect-ion '17. Said key 42 comprises a plurality ofcylindrical bearing rollers 44 carried by a frame d5 held in tensionbetween two springs 46 secured to the ends as at 47. The outer end ofeach spring 46 is fastened to the outer shaft member 17", as by screws48, at the ends of the groove ll in which said key slides.

Vith a view to further minimizing friction .lossesand inorder to providefor great mechanical strength in the universal joint at the inner end ofthe extensible shaft 17, forming part of the transmission mechanismwhichdrives the auger 1, a. spiral gear joint is used, as shown by Figs.1 and 2, for communicating with thepower shaft 49 on the side ofthetruek. This shaft ea re ,53, which turns .on a vertical axis.

a plane perpendicular to the shaft 17.

ceives its power from the engine through a sprocket wheel 50 and chain.51, and delivers power to a spiral gear 52 fixed on the front end ofsaid shaft 49. This gear delivers its power directly to a second spiralgear This second gear 53 meshes with a third spiral gear 5-l which turnson a horizontal axis in This third gear 54- in turn delivers its powerto said shaft 17 through the medium of a fourth spiral. gear 55 keyed tothe inner end of said shaft. The mounting for thisgear mechanismincludes a series of link like members hinged together at their endscoaxial ly with the corresponding gears respec tively, as will beapparent.

For simplicity of design, both to the gears and the mountings therefor,these spiral gears are all substantially alike. said gear mountingcomprises three link members '56, 57 and 58. The middle link 57 has twoforked ends with the fork planes at right angles, to receive the pivots59 and 60 respectively. These pivots serve both as hinge pintles toconnect the end links and 58 and as supports for the gears 53 and 5drespectively. -The other two links 56 and 58 are substantially likelinkf57, but at. their 'outer forks receive the shafts 49 and 17'respectively instead of short pivots such as 59 and '60, and said pivotsfit in the apposite forks of said outer links. Horizontal swinging ofshaft 17 is about pivot 59 and vertical swinging is about pivot 60. Link56 is rigid with the frame l.

In order to prevent tilting of the platform '3 and frame 4, anadjustable lateral brace or anchor is provided on the truck. This bracecomprises mainly a rigid bar '62 having a ground gripping tip or shoe 63on its free outer end and manually operable means 64. for raising andlowering at its opposite end where it is hinged. to the truck frame fordouble movement. This connec tion includes a pair of hinge members, oneof which 65 accommodates vertical movement and the other 66 accommodatesh0ri- Zontal movement. The hinge members '65 and -66 are connected by acommon block 67 which is interposed. as shown.

The raising and lowering means (i l conr prises a screw having a. handle64: on its outer end. nected at 38 "to the upper edge of "hinge block67. An internally threaded carrier 69 on said screw is securedpivotzilly at 70 to the upper edge of the brace 62 at its inner ei'ld.Turning the handle 64" in one direction serves to lower the brace 64 andin the opposite direction. to raise the same. When the brace is raised,it may 'be swung horizontal-ly to fit snugly against the side of thevehicle frame 4', as indicated by dotted lines on 3. When it is to beswung The The inner end is pivotallycon downwardly for use, it may belowered by means of the screw 64. Reverse turning of the screw raisesthe brace to its horizontal position ready for swinging horizontallyagainst the truck.

Referring to Fig. 7, a modified form of joint is here shown for thetorque reactor and driving shaft. Here the telescopic joint issubstantially similar to that shown in Fig. 5, except that in thismodification the shaft sections 72 and 73 are provided with a simpleslot and key connection instead of being provided with an anti-frictionkey, such as shown in Fig. 5. In Fig. 7 the key 74 is secured in a slot75 of section 73 and rides in the slot 7 6 of section 72.

The relatively light auger adapted for manual dumping is especiallysuitable for use on trucks where speed is required and. where extremelyheavy work is not demanded. The equipment as a whole being of lightconstruction, it is capable of quick and. ready manipulation, and thepower connections for driving the auger enable it to accomplish powerboring most efficiently.

Although but two embodiments of this invention have been herein shownand described, it is to be understood that numerous details of theconstruction shown may be altered or omitted without departing from thespirit of this invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. An earth boring machine comprising a mobile support, a derrickmounted thereon, an auger carried by said derrick and a combinationpower drive and torque reactor shaft operably connecting said auger andsupport, said shaft being telescopically extensible and provided withanti-friction bearings for the extension joint.

2. An earth boring machine comprising a mobile support, a derrickmounted thereon, an auger carried by said derrick and a power shaftoperably connecting said auger and support, said shaft comprising a pairof sections telescopically connected, the overlapping ends beingoppositely grooved lengthwise, and an anti-friction key disposedcoactively in the grooves.

3. An earth boring machine comprising a mobile support, a derrickmounted thereon, an auger carried by said derrick and a power shaftoperably connecting said auger and support, said shaft comprising a pairof sections telescopically connected, the overlapping ends beingoppositely grooved lengthwise, and an anti-friction key disposedcoactively in the grooves, said key comprising a carrier frame and aplurality of cylindrical rollers held thereby with their axes disposedradially of said shaft, and springs urging said frame to a medialposition.

4. An earth boring machine comprising a mobile support, a derrickmounted thereon, an earth auger carried by said derrick, a source ofpower on said derrick and a mechanical train connecting said auger tosaid source, said train including both a telescopically extensible shaftand a universal joint having spiral gears to transmit the powertherethrough, said oint including three pivotally connected forked linksand three spiral gears coactively related and carried thereby.

5. In combination a mobile support, a derrick thereon, an earth augercarried by said derrick, means to transmit power from said support tosaid auger, said means including a telescopically extensible shaftsuspended under said derrick and gearing at the ends of said shaftrespectively, that at the outer end being arranged to transmit powerfrom said shaft to said auger and that at the inner end comprising fourspiral. gears including one which is mounted on the said support on anaxis disposed lengthwise of said support, one keyed to the said shaftand two others intermediately disposed, and three pivotally related forkmembers to hold said spiral gears in cooperative relation.

Signed at Chicago this 6th day of February, 1925.

GILBERT GENUNG.

